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The Union Ayush Ministry’s efforts to set up an Ayush Export Promotion Council (AEPC) in collaboration with the commerce ministry to boost international trade of Ayush products is unlikely to be realized this year as FICCI, the trade body which was assigned to frame the byelaws, has not yet completed even the draft of the rules and guidelines.
The Indian chamber of commerce and industry was given the responsibility to frame the byelaws for the proposed AEPC in March this year.
However, the Union Ayush Ministry is putting pressure on the federation to speed up the work on the guidelines and submit it at the earliest to form the export promotion council, according to information received from the Union Ayush Ministry.
“Government has already approved the formation of AEPC and the ministry has given the responsibility for framing the byelaws to the trade body FICCI who knows national and international markets well, and coordinates with the commerce ministry for export purposes. They are making the guidelines, but no specific deadline has been given for submitting the draft. We are expecting the draft soon, but it will be followed by a review mechanism by the Ayush ministry and the commerce ministry. Afterwards, the final copy will be made. To finish all these processes, a period of time is required. Once the byelaw is ready, the council will be formed accordingly,” said Sanjay Dev, media advisor in the Ministry of Ayush.
When asked whether the Ministry of Ayush is expecting the draft of the byelaws by the end of this year, the media officer said it cannot be expected on a specific date as there is no time-frame given for it, but the office of the secretary is pressurizing to get it as early as possible. He said it is likely to go beyond December this year or January next year.
Meanwhile, the Ayurveda drug manufacturing industry in Kerala, while hailing the initiative being taken by the Union Ayush Ministry to establish the AEPC, has urged the government to consider the steps taken by it since the first deliberation on the formation of the council was started years before. Dr D Ramanathan, general secretary of the Kerala Ayurveda Drug Manufacturers Association (AMMOI) said the Ayush entrepreneurs in Kerala hope due representation and participation in the council.
According to him, the total sales revenue of Kerala Ayurveda sector is Rs. 1,500 crore and around 700 manufacturing units are engaged in the production and marketing of various classical and patented products. AMMOI has decided to increase the Ayurveda sales turnover to Rs. 5,000 crore in next five years. Dr. Ramanathan feels that once AEPC becomes a reality the international buyers of traditional medicines will choose India as their preferred sourcing destination for herbal medicines.
He said AMMOI had conducted one workshop for the leading Ayurveda drug manufacturers and international marketers in July 2017 in association with the Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO) to give awareness on exports of Ayurveda medicines to other countries. The seminar was inaugurated by the then director general of the Foreign Trade Kochi, R Muthuraj. Again in 2019, AMMOI passed a resolution demanding the union government to set up one Export Promotion Council for Ayush to boost the Ayurveda products trade in the international market. D Ramanathan presented the resolution in its annual general body meeting held in Aluva on February 18, 2019 and later the demand was forwarded to the Union Ayush Ministry.
Responding to the news about the formation of the council, the CMD of the Care Keralam Ayush Cluster and managing director of the Pankaja Kasthuri Herbals India Ltd, Dr J Hareendran Nair, said the Export Promotion Council will definitely help the Ayurveda industry in Kerala and he sees very good marketing opportunities in the global market for Indian made Ayush products.
Answering to queries from Pharmabiz, Dr T Thirunarayanan, secretary of the Chennai based Centre for Traditional Medicines and Research (CTMR), said along with setting up of the Export Promotion Council, the Union Ministry of Ayush should strive to disseminate knowledge about Ayush systems in foreign countries. People in foreign countries must understand one fact that Ayurveda or Siddha is not merely a massage therapy or panchakarma therapy, it is beyond that. The only source for awareness in other countries is through recognition of Ayush courses which need to be studied and practiced in foreign countries also. However, he agreed up on the idea that AEPC can boost the Ayush trade in international markets.
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